By now you know there were no million-dollar cars at Barrett-Jackson's inaugural Las Vegas auction. Hard to believe, isn't it? A Barrett-Jackson auction and not only were there no million-dollar cars, there were no half-million dollar cars. In fact, in going through the auction results, I found only four cars that sold for a quarter of a million dollars or more:

$330,000 for a 2006 Ford Mustang customized by "Funkmaster Flex"
$313,500 for the 1949 MG TC that was the first car ever raced by Carroll Shelby
$260,700 for a 2003 Saleen S7 sports car
$225,500 for a highly customized 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn sedan

Nonetheless, something like 15,000 people showed up on opening day and by the time the three-day event concluded $29.1 million in collector vehicles had changed owners.

Barrett-Jackson president Steve Davis noted that half of those bidding had never been to a collector car auction before. "At times," added Craig Jackson, "the bidding went in smaller increments because some of the bidders were less experienced."

Whether it's the overall economy or all the new bidders, maybe there's finally an opportunity for those of us of more modest means to get our dream machines.

With that in mind, I paged through the Barrett-Jackson catalog and results sheets and discovered some relatively affordable classics I'd love to have in my garage:

$22,000 for a 1949 Willys Jeep CJ2A fire truck
$30,800 for a 1955 Ford F-100 pickup with a 351 Cleveland, power steering, disc brakes and updated interior
$49,500 for a 1947 Flexible Starliner custom motorhome
(O.K., so it wouldn't fit in my garage, but this classic bus converted into a modern motor home looks like a great vehicle for a road trip)
$58,300 for a "Butternut Yellow" 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS
$88,000 for a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr convertible

And, I'll admit it, I like station wagons, and found these examples in the catalog and sales results:

$42,900 for a customized 1960 Chevrolet sedan delivery
$50,600 for a highly modified 1956 Buick Century station wagon
$57,200 for a 1956 Ford Parklane 2-door station wagon
$58,300 for a customized 1958 Chevrolet sedan delivery